From Black to Blue
by TheRealAbbey
Summary: Jane's worst fears become a reality when a former white collar criminal targets Lisbon. But will this give her a little more pause in considering his way of thinking? -Jane pain (written prior to the final 4 episodes)
1. Chapter 1

It was eight o'clock in the morning when Teresa Lisbon received an envelope marked "Catch me if you can". The words neatly printed in blue on a perfectly crisp white envelope stared at her from an evidence bag in the large meeting room.

Kimball Cho had been waiting for her, standing at the end of the long table. Dennis Abbott sat at the other end along with a woman Lisbon had never seen before.

"Thanks for getting here so quickly. We received seven of these this morning," Cho told her. "This one is yours." He held up the bag.

Lisbon came to a stop, feeling no need to greet them, "What does it say?"

Patrick Jane came into the room just behind her, as though he had been with her when she received the call and followed her into work. It was a relatively usual occurrence and had now become a well-known but unspoken fact that the two of them seemed to be sharing the same bed on a regular basis.

"It only contained a needle, which has already been analysed." Before Lisbon could ask any further questions, Cho continued, "Nothing toxic on the needle but they were able to pick up a partial print belonging to Douglas Hatcher."

She recognised the name after only a few moments, "The white collar criminal? Didn't we put him away in 2001?"

The woman with Abbott spoke for the first time, standing to walk over and address Lisbon. Her accent suggested she'd grown up in Wisconsin or somewhere inland north of the US. "You did, but he was released in 2006 and then incarcerated again in 2009." She looked to be in her forties, a brunette with pale skin and features darker than Lisbon. As she approached, Lisbon could see she was at least a few inches taller than her without heels. She wore an FBI badge on her dark brown suit collar. The woman extended her hand "Julie Swain, white collar crime. I was another recipient."

Teresa Lisbon took her hand. "So you knew Hatcher."

"Yes, I know Hatcher. Along with a few other gentleman he became acquainted with behind bars, Eric Brandt and Mason Lake." Julie acknowledged Jane and he nodded back, watching the exchange quietly.

Teresa shook her head, "I know neither of those people."

Agent Swain leaned against the desk, "Hatcher actually worked with our unit for a while in around 2010 in exchange for parole and reduction of sentencing."

Lisbon didn't look terribly impressed, "Another deal, huh?"

Abbott nodded, "Yes – this one didn't work out so well."

Swain continued, "Hatcher disappeared about three years ago. This is the first sign of him."

"What do you think it means?"

"I think he's bored; he wants a challenge. But also I think he wants something. Something that he can only get from us."

"Like what?"

"I have no idea."

Jane spoke from behind them, "Why a needle?"

Swain shook her head, "I don't know that either."

He asked her another question: "What kind of crimes was this Mr Hatcher involved in?"

"All kinds – fraud, bribery, embezzlement, even identity fraud. It was that last one we nailed him for."

"Was there a needle in each envelope?"

"Yes, there was."

"Can we see it?"

Cho responded to Jane's question, "It's still with the Lab. But I can find you a picture; hold on a moment." He brought up his iPad to show them, "Here."

Jane commented, "That's not a needle. It looks like a tool one would use to pick locks."

Lisbon nodded, "Hatcher's smart. He wouldn't have left a fingerprint if he didn't want to, He is giving us a clue. Maybe he wants us to unlock something."

On the same page, Jane agreed, "Probably unlock something that he can't unlock himself." He turned to Swain and Abbott, "Do we have anything, maybe kept in a safe or in evidence, that he might find valuable or that he was previously after?"

Swain crossed her arms, "I don't know, but it's something to look into."

Abbott rose from his seat, "While I'm here, I'm working with Agent Swain as liaison but Agent Cho is in charge."

Swain spoke to Lisbon, "We're contacting some old acquaintances of Hatcher's to see who we can bring in and what we can find."

Cho spoke, "Do you think you could look into what he might be after?"

"On it." She turned to leave.

"Hold on a moment, Agent Lisbon," Agent Swain reached out her hand as though she was going to take Teresa's arm. Teresa turned and Jane, who was almost out the door, waited too. "You should know that Douglas Hatcher is a very different person to the one you dealt with sixteen years ago."

Teresa nodded, "How do you mean?"

"He was never a good person, but now he's gotten himself involved in organised crime. He is really very dangerous. I just thought you should know that."

Lisbon did not look particularly impressed. Agent Swain was not fully cognisant of why this was until Patrick Jane spoke from the doorway. "Uh, Lisbon? Can I speak to you for a moment?"

Wordlessly, Lisbon followed Jane into an empty interview room, shaking her head as she closed the door, "I know what you're going to say."

"I have a really bad feeling about this. Please. Can you maybe sit this out? Stay at the office?"

"We have _had_ this conversation – so many times, Jane. I just can't."

"No, you won't. It's choice you're making, Lisbon."

"There's hardly a choice. The guy called me out, personally. You know what you're asking me to do? You're asking me to run and hide. What kind of choice is that? And are you telling me I have to choose between you and the job? Is that what you're saying?"

He shook his head while looking at his shoes, "No. No, of course not. You know that."

"Listen to me," her voice became softer, gentle, "We will take every precaution, we will make a plan and stick to it..." He was nodding his head but not looking at her. She could see he was just pushing down his feelings and letting her be but she pressed on, "I promise you, I will be fine."

He studied his shoes. She closed the gap between them so she was barely half a foot from him, "Hey, look at me."

He glanced up at her briefly but then he turned and left her alone. "I'm going to make some tea," He told her on the way out. She sighed.


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you so very much to those who reviewed the last chapter. I am somewhat new to this fandom, but this is an idea that I have had in my head since around episode 7 of season 7. Thank you kindly for the warm welcome and I hope anyone reading enjoys this story. **

"Agent Lisbon," Swain found the woman she'd been searching for standing in the break room, talking to the man known as Patrick Jane, who Swain had definitively decided was her boyfriend. Patrick Jane presented as a classic gentleman – dressed in a grey suit and vest, white shirt but no tie. He was sipping his drink out of a blue cup and even holding the saucer.

Swain acknowledged Mr Jane but continued speaking, "We have some news."

Teresa turned to face her, putting her black cup down on the bench and shoving her other hand into her front pocket of her dress pants. "What news?"

Patrick continued to sip his drink while Swain answered. "Agent Wiley's research into assets owned by the suspect came up with a wheat mill business that went bust a few years ago. Hatcher's father owned the company which doesn't seem to operate but it does still have a lease on the building. Locals say it looks abandoned but there may be some occasional activity at night."

Patrick paused a moment, holding his cup to his lips. "You think they're using it for something?"

"They could be."

Teresa looked skeptical. "It's a little too obvious, isn't it?"

Swain shrugged, "Worth checking out. We'll go after daylight though, which is in about an hour. That work for you?" At Lisbon's nod, Swain finished, "Suit up then. She left the couple alone in the kitchen.

After Swain left, Jane looked at Lisbon. "I'm going with you."

She looked at him with a mix of adoration and irritation, but was too tired to argue with him, "Fine."

The building was dark when the police arrived. The police cars light up the night with their blue and red lights. Whilst the team had cause to believe that Hatcher (and perhaps other persons) had been or may be at the premises, there had been no real emergency so the sirens had remained switched off on all three cars which pulled up in a semi-circle. Nevertheless, given the circumstances, and by way of caution, all personnel where vested – except, of course, Patrick Jane, who was apparently bullet proof.

Agent Lisbon stepped out of one of the vehicles, weapon at the ready and jogged out to follow several other police who had intended to enter the building. Jane, of course, tagged along behind her.

"Hey," a member of the white collar team who had not been acquainted with either of them turned to see them and gestured at Jane. He spoke in a loud whisper, "Back in the car. Now."

Lisbon responded with chagrin, "Don't bother." Off his look, she added, "Trust me."

The Agent spoke to Jane: "At least put a damn vest on." He then turned toward the building.

They split up – one group carefully checking the bottom of the building, one group carefully trotting to the top, and another the sides and front. Lisbon and Cho, with Jane – now in a vest – following behind, took the bottom. The building was dark so they opened their flash lights to give themselves some light.

"Not a whole lot here," Cho reported glancing behind him at Lisbon. It'll be easier to come back in the morning when it's light." He was cut off with a sudden movement and blow to the head.

Before either Lisbon or Jane could even consider their evasive action, they had been forcibly taken by the arms and silenced by at least two other assailants.

Agent Abbott noticed Swain through the window of the spare office on his way back from the tea room. He popped in, "I thought you were out with the rest of the team?"

She was standing at her desk with a set of head phones over one ear, "I was but I wanted to go through the person of interest interviews once again to see if we missed anything. There might be some other angles to take the investigation. I doubt they'll find much at the building in any case."

Abbott nodded, "Fair enough." As he went to leave, she called after him, "What's going on with those two – Lisbon and Jane?" Swain asked him.

He shrugged, "I have no idea."

"You mean that you know exactly what is going on except that it is none of my business."

He smiled slightly, "Very good."

She took her headphones off and called after him again, "Is he going to be a problem?"

"He, who?"

"Mr Jane. Is he going to be a problem?"

"How would be he be a problem?"

"It looked like he was asking her not to work with us."

"Oh no, that's just Jane. Don't worry. Lisbon is not going to be taken off the case. He's not her boss. I am." He paused a moment, "Well, Agent Cho is now."

"Why does she work with her husband anyway?"

He paused, raising an eyebrow, "He's not her husband."

"No? But…"

Abbott knew precisely what she was thinking, "He wears a wedding ring from his last wife. She was murdered. Along with their young daughter."

"Oh my goodness."

"Yeah." He glanced behind him in the office. There was no one there at this time of night but he entered and closed the door anyway. "I guess… he's afraid of going through that again."

When Lisbon came to, she was in another part of what she quickly assumed was the same building, only underneath - judging by the brick walls and the strong smell of damp dirt. It was just as dark, but a small bulb several feet away in the middle of the room gave off a little more light. She was lying in her side so she sat up, noticing that Jane was awake just behind her and being pulled to stand by a much larger man - about 6 foot, but wide and wearing brown pants and a leather jacket. Lisbon would come to know this man as Mason Lake.

A presence behind her gave her cause to reach for her weapon. The holster was empty. Someone grabbed her upper arm tight and pulled her up – another man. Before she could turn to get a good look at him, she heard Jane call out to him from behind her, "Hey," he called, very un-Jane-like, "Leave her alone!" almost immediately, she heard him cry as he was struck in the stomach.

"Hey! Stop!" She allowed herself to be pulled up by the smaller man beside her but tried to turn to see if her partner was alright.

A new voice greeted them: "Enough."

Douglas Hatcher stepped out towards them, dim light bouncing off his thin face. The years had not been kind to him. His once boyish features where now gaunt, his previously thick black hair was now thin and stringy, cut short but hanging down to the nap of his neck, and his eyes were black - darker than she remembered.

"Hatcher." She stayed calm, pushing down a sudden shiver at the sheer malevolence of Hatcher's presence.

"Agent Lisbon, now with the FBI I see."

"What do you want?"

"Straight to it, huh? I like that. Well, first of all, thank you so very much for coming straight to me. I sent invitations to seven officers and you were the one to arrive, after less than a day. Much appreciated."

She said nothing and neither did her partner so Hatcher kept talking. "Okay - I need this from you, Lisbon: in evidence, you hold a dozen stones taken from me seven years ago. I know they've not been destroyed because you've not been able to obtain convictions on the related charges. I need those stones back."

"Why." She did not phrase it as a question.

"Because they will open something worth a lot of money... which I need to open to avoid execution by a group of people much more dangerous than me."

Jane and Lisbon stole a glance at one another. "What makes you think the FBI will let you have it?" she asked him.

"They won't." He approached her. "But you – you will get it for me."

"Or else what."

"Or." He turned and walked back toward the light. She could see the room looked it might have once been used as a tool shed or a cellar – a lonely wooden bench lay across one side and in front of her, she could make out a stack of chairs, piles of wood and boxes. Hatcher grabbed a wooden chair, pulling it along the dirt floor under the light into the middle of the room, "I will make you suffer."

Jane spoke "Don't." He forced out. "Leave her alone. Take me."

"Jane, hush." She told him gently. At the same time, Hatcher spoke to his partners, "Shut him up."

He then took a hold of Lisbon's arm to pull her toward the chair. The man who had held her let go. As he did so, she cast a glance behind her at Jane to watch the two of them force Jane into a seated position. Lisbon got her first good look at the man how had stood behind her. She noticed that the other man was at least half the size of the bigger one – about Jane's height, brown hair and white skin with what looked like acne scarring over his face. He was wearing jeans and jacket with brown work boots. She would later identify him as Eric Brandt.

"Let him go." She referred to Jane. "He doesn't need to be here."

"Of course he needs to be here." Hatcher turned to the other men, "Pull his chair over here."

As they did so, Hatcher directed Lisbon into the chair he'd brought over, cuffing her to it. She glanced up and noted Jane had been gagged with a thick cloth, which probably used to be a red bandanna.

Both of them sat semi-facing one another in the middle of a cool underground cellar, under what seemed to be the only source of dim light. To make matters worse, Hatcher dragged over a black suitcase and opened it.

Lisbon's stomach dropped and all moisture left her mouth. Inside the bag were a whole lot of silver instruments which it looked like a dentist might use, only more cruel.

It was literally like a classic torture scene from a James Bond movie. And Jane was about to witness it. She watched him struggle against his bonds while she sat calmly. He was never one to remain stoic or hide his emotions in such circumstances. She cast him a deeply apologetic look, only falling short of mouthing an apology.

Hatcher selected an instrument out of his bag which looked across between a thin knife and a screw driver, only longer and much thinner. He held it up so they could both see it and addressed Lisbon. "When applied to the right pressure points and bundle of nerves, this causes agonising pain to the victim's entire body."

He walked closer to her and knelt down in front of her. "I know because I've had it done to me. I know how to use it as well, so help me God." He sounded almost apologetic.

She swallowed but focused on her breath to calm herself, blocking out Jane's struggles and muffled yells.

"So, either my stones... Or, I make you cry and beg and suffer like never before."

She spoke calmly "You might find there will have to be a third option."

After Abbott entered her office, Swain was quiet for a moment. "So you think that Mr Jane is afraid of losing a loved one again."

Abbott leant against an armchair in the room, "Of course. I would expect so."

She folded her arms, "Don't you think someone should tell him that's not what he needs to worry about?"

"How do you mean?"

"The note wasn't directed at him. It was directed at her."

He looked at her blankly so she decided to spell it out for him. "How do you think Hatcher plans to hurt her?"

"You think they're going to go after him?"

She nodded, "She's in love with him, right?"

"Yes, I believe so."

"Then – almost certainly."

Hatcher chuckled, "Lisbon, you're not listening to me." He glanced at Jane, "I think you're really upsetting your boyfriend here. He is your boyfriend, right?"

She didn't answer so Hatcher continued, "On the other hand, you… you're really calm." He played with the tool. "Interesting."

He stood up. "I think I know why." He looked at her. "You don't fully appreciate what I'm going to do to you." Glancing over at Jane, he said, "But he does."

He strolled over as Jane renewed his struggling. "It's happened to him before." Hatcher crouched in front of Jane and looked into his eyes. Suddenly, Patrick Jane calmed considerably, almost stilling.

Hatcher nodded, "Now you understand," he said to Patrick. Without looking back at Lisbon, he put a gentle hand on Jane's left shoulder, as if Jane himself might do to calm a witness or suspect, "Breathe." He instructed before pushing the instrument into the same shoulder.

Patrick screamed through his gag in agony. Lisbon cried out, "NO!" She began to struggle in her cuffs, "Leave him alone! No, stop!"

Hatcher chuckled, walking back over to the bag and selecting another instrument which looked much the same. "Take out his gag; I want her to hear this."

Lisbon could see that Jane seemed to be in blinding pain. "No, stop! Please!" Her voice broke, "Alright. I'll get you the stones. Just, please... please don't hurt him."

Jane still writhed on the chair before them, biting into his gag but semi-coherent. The two men stood behind him, not yet having removed it as initially instructed. Hatcher smiled, "There. That didn't take long." He reached up to wipe a tear off her face. "Not long at all."

"Please." She looked at the man she loved across from her, "You're hurting him."

Hatcher paused but then turned to retrieve his tool from the consultant's shoulder. Patrick gave a yelp as it was removed but Teresa could see his entire body relax as Hatcher walked away, clearly in a lot less blinding pain. She swallowed. For a moment, the room was filled only with Jane and Lisbon's heavy breathing.

Hatcher then spoke, "I'm going to let you go." Lisbon let out a sigh of relief. "Just you. The gentleman stays here."

Her throat filled up and she felt her eyes sting with new tears but she pushed the feeling away. When she spoke, her voice shook, more vulnerable than she'd ever sounded, "You could let him come with me, as a gesture of good faith."

Hatcher smiled, "Agent Lisbon, my gesture of good faith is having my tools in my suitcase instead of in your loved one." He leaned up to her ear, "Don't think I won't make a man cry." She shuddered involuntarily.

Hatcher stood up, "I'll have a cell phone delivered to you. You can contact us that way." He turned to the two men, "Put a bag in her head and see her out." They started towards her as Hatcher walked away. Suddenly, he turned in his heel, "Oh wait, one last thing."

He walked over to Jane who was still gagged and reached toward his face. Jane pulled back only slightly as Hatcher wiped two fingers over Jane's face. He came back over to Lisbon. "I want you to have something before you go." He knelt down before her and brushed his fingers over her lips. She tasted salt. "When I promise to make you suffer, I mean it. Now, get me what I want."

**I absolutely adore the dude in distress/ man in peril and I'm a big sucker for hurt/comfort so I have been thinking about this as a possible scenario ever since episode 7 or thereabouts. I do not think that Lisbon needs to quit her job for this relationship to work… but I do think that perhaps she needs to act more cautious, as though one would if they had a family to come home to. I do think that if her job were to put him in danger, she might come closer to his way of thinking, so I wanted to explore that a little. I would love to hear your thoughts on this. Just ****a quick note about this chapter: I have taken a little bit of artistic license as I note there are literally only about three wheat mills in Austen, but for the purposes of this story, please just assume that it all makes sense.**


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